Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Thefts of Christmas

by Tim Major

A thrilling chase as Sherlock Holmes is set a fiendish puzzle by Irene Adler over a snowy London Christmas, in this stunningly packaged mystery Sherlock Holmes's discovery of a mysterious musical score initiates a devious Christmas challenge set by Irene Adler, with clues that are all variations on the theme of "theft without theft", such as a statue missing from a museum found hidden in the room it was taken from.  In the snowy London lead-up to Christmas, Holmes's preoccupation with the "Adler Variations" risks him neglecting the case of his new client, Norwegian arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who has received a series of threats in the form of animal carcasses left on his doorstep. Could they really be gifts from a strange spirit that has pursued Nansen since the completion of his expedition to cross Greenland? And might this case somehow be related to Irene Adler's great game?

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Crime, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

First published November 8, 2022

About the author

Tim Major is a British Fantasy Award-winning writer and freelance editor from York, UK.

His books include Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives and a sequel, Jekyll & Hyde: Winter Retreat, plus Snakeskins, Hope Island, three Sherlock Holmes novels and short story collections And the House Lights Dim and Great Robots of History.

Tim’s short stories have been selected for Best of British Science Fiction, Best of British Fantasy and The Best Horror of the Year, and his story ‘The Brazen Head of Westinghouse’ won the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction in 2024.

Find out more at www.timjmajor.com

Reviews

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the BBC series 'Sherlock' with Benedict Cumberbatch and this book was in the same style. I enjoyed it.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/EMgU50NWDe4

I adore the original Sherlock Holmes stories so I am always looking out for re-imaginings of these iconic characters. I was particularly interested in this one because I'm currently in the mood for holiday themed stories.

This one was cute and quaint but it didn't quite capture the magic of the original work. I think my issue was specifically the character of Sherlock which felt like a shallow version.

That being said, it was fun to return back to the world of Holmes. I enjoy Irene Alder as a character and liked the game woven into the story.

If you also enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories this is one you may choose to check out.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Mikala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genuinely enjoyed. Very slow read and honestly disjointed and all over the place. But it got my attention for some reason 😅

I think you have to read this slowly or it's going to be very hard to follow. There are just like 15 different subplots in this and diversions in the plot that fork off in a new direction before wrapping up the previous bit.

I can't help but compare Sherlock Holmes to Hercule Poirot. And though it may be unfair to compare them, I find the poirot stories far more enjoyable to read! And Poirot as a character more charming and interesting than Holmes who comes off as very pretentious at times?

Despite these gripes, I still overall found this book to be very compelling and exactly what I needed. I just kept being drawn back in and wanting to keep reading!

I will continue on in my journey to read more into the Holmes universe!

[Court · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I deeply adore the idea of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler being friends challenging each other with fun puzzles, Mary Morstan Watson as a perceptive potential detective, and a lonely Mrs. Hudson enjoying Christmas with Toby, the execution of this story fell flat. Watson is extremely unpleasant and ill-tempered, Holmes feels childish and overwrought, and Mrs Hudson is basically hysterical the entire time. Tedious and a bit of a chore to get through.

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is set at Christmas 1890 around that 'woman' the one person Holmes was beaten by. But the print stinks was really difficult to get read. It is bit slow and once again like his last Holmes has famous real person in in it. Too much waffles and not enough red herrings

[Outlander · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this, what a dud. A rambling treasure hunt challenge which is supposed to be arranged by Irene Adler to test SH - absolute drivel.

[Naomi Steenstra Toussaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Tuva Kongshaug]

Dette var en koselig julefortelling🎄🤶🏽 Jeg likte godt premisset om et julemysterium satt i London på 1890-tallet som løses gjennom klassisk musikk, meeeen grunnen til at det ikke nådde helt opp for meg, var at det rett og slett ikke var så spennende. Løsningen var ikke forutsigbar, men ledetrådene og løsningen var veldig rotete lagt frem. Men en koselig og lettstelt julebok!

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a great book but I enjoyed reading it.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "Return of Irene Adler" motif is very popular among New Holmes authors, but I only ever saw one that was worth reading. This isn't it.

An intellectual frivolity. The stakes are incredibly low. What's the point? I bailed.

[Lisa]

This book took you on a winding path of intrigue. It had multiple mysteries that kept you reading. The characters did not display generous amounts of development, but their character was continuous. I recommend it as a great intellectual read.

[Milla Vesting · Rating 2 out of 5]

i feel like this tried very hard to be like the bbc adaptation but failed at coherence and wit

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one okay. It wasn't as good as SH and the Christmas Demon. This seemed silly and a bit repetitive in the beginning. It did get better and I enjoyed it overall.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out well but drifted off into a side plot that I a) didn't care about and b) went on and on. I gave up and am moving on.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this story was just a bit hard for me to follow. Out of necessity for the story line. And after getting deeper into the book, I grew tired of Holmes’ level of obsession with the antagonist. Won’t name the person so it’s not a spoiler.

[John Bradford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading a cozy Christmas mystery during the holidays, and this book chronicling more exploits from Sherlock Holmes fits the bill. Recent iterations of Sherlock Holmes find the detective more human and flawed, and this book was no exception. Holmes agrees to find the person or persons responsible for harassing a Norwegian explorer by leaving animal carcasses on his doorstep. However, he is distracted by a series of clues left by Irene Adler who may be planning a big caper. Watson is frustrated by Holmes's preoccupation with thwarting Adler's plans and undertakes much of the Norwegian puzzle himself along with his wife. In this book Holmes not only appears less astute, but others around him seem smarter. In this case, it's annoying. It's a good read, but not a great read. It is riveting in places, but the final solution(s) are anti-climatic.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good causal read for the holidays. The middle did get a little boring, but it was still entertaining to see Watson and Holmes work together.

[Texas Termite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! A page turner.

As always Tim Major has done it again. Many situations and threads running thru this well writton book. There are Easter Eggs waiting to be seen. Hint Wiki. Money well spent! You solved it early? No, I don't think so. Have fun get this entertaining book. Disclosure: I purchased this book and the review is solely my opinion. I was not compensated or gifted a free anything for my review.

[LeVanM · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook was terrible! The voice for Sherlock was so annoying I could barely keep listening. I just wanted Sherlock to stop having anything to say! It detracted from being able to enjoy what could have been interesting mysteries and cases to be solved. Wish I’d just read the book instead.

[Lee Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they are set a perplexing puzzle.

Morose and uninspired as Christmas approaches, Holmes receives an unexpected invitation to a theatrical performance, thus beginning a challenge set by a face from the past and an investigation into a series of baffling thefts.

Meanwhile, a new client requests Holmes investigate a series of bloody gifts left in the form of dissected meat and animal carcasses, referencing events when he was lost during an expedition in Greenland.

As the mystery deepens, sending Holmes and Watson in dizzying directions, the mysteries grow evermore complex and the endgame more obscure, Watson fearing Holmes is far too distracted to find this solution.

'Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Thefts of Christmas' sees Holmes reacquainted with Irene Adler as he pursues clues left as part of a game of her creation, beginning with a visit to the theatre and the variations in a haunting melody. In this intellectual contest, with more than a little teasing that hints at flirtation, Holmes obsesses over the maze through which 'the woman' leads him - a crossword puzzle sketched over the map of London and its environs.

Tim Major has moulded a fun and enthralling novel; Holmes' wits challenged by an equal, with entertaining diversions into folklore, mythology and skullduggery, alongside hints of the gothic in the case of a series of macabre deliveries, which may be gifts or threats, presenting a mystery with suggestions of the supernatural. Impeccably written with a sprinkling of Christmas magic added to Holmes' masterful detection, this is a fast-paced tale complete with vivid scenes and themes and motifs you'll recognise from Conan Doyle's Holmes stories.

It is testament to Arthur Conan Doyle's writing that characters who made relatively minor appearances have gone on to become so popular and so entwined within the Holmes mythology - Irene Adler being perhaps the second most notable of these. Despite only appearing in one of Conan Doyle's short stories, 'A Scandal in Bohemia', she has gone on to appear in multiple continuation and spin-off stories in print and several screen adaptations. It is Holmes' fascination and respect for her which has earned her the reputation as being the closest to a 'romantic' interest for Holmes, though their attraction is far more intellectual than physical (Holmes remaining closer to asexual than sapiosexual). Major does a superb job at recreating and continuing this relationship.

In addition to Holmes, Watson and Adler, Mrs Hudson and Mary Watson play significant roles. All the lead and supporting characters are marvellously realised, driving the plot as much as the challenge itself. The novel also features real historical characters in Holmes' client and Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his wife, Major taking poetic licence with their real lives intertwined into the narrative and a mystery surrounding Nansen's most recent exploration.

A thoroughly entertaining Yuletide story, 'Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Thefts of Christmas' is a sublime piece of historical mystery which satisfies like an after-dinner Christmas puzzle.

[Sandy Lender · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Holmes re-telling/re-imagining I've read and I think I should have picked a less chaotic one to dive into this concept. I selected this book for its title: I wanted the number 12 for the Clock Reading Challenge this year and the rest of it for my Christmas Reading Challenge. It served it purpose.

The main plot--the mystery of "who/what is leaving animal carcasses on the doorstep of explorer Fridtjof Nansen's doorsteps (plural)--was an interesting one to follow. The additional plot--the not-quite-a-mystery of Irene Adler setting puzzles in play for Sherlock Holmes to find/seek/discover/run into/stumble across/obsess over--would have made for its own story, although I think that may have only been compelling to those readers who love the Irene & Sherlock idea. (Irene & Sherlock Shippers, as it were.) I won't give any spoilers but I will say it was intriguing to have Mary Watson provide mini-solutions to puzzles within puzzles (thefts without theft).

I found myself frustrated by the misdirections and lack of information/lead-up to the reveal. Again, I'm not going to spoil the reveal but it felt as if it came out of nowhere to this reader...which I don't think is fair. I think mysteries should give the reader a chance to guess who or what is the culprit...not spring it on the reader like a "ha! gotcha!"

I also wished for more Christmas in the "Twelve Thefts of." But this wasn't a Christmas story. This was a Sherlock-Holmes-is-a-moody-old-grinch story.

[David Dunlap · Rating 2 out of 5]

The inimitable Dr. John Watson narrates this tale of Sherlock Holmes, who is posed a puzzle by his longtime nemesis (love interest?) Irene Adler: a series of 'thefts' that are not thefts, since nothing is permanently missing or lost. (Since the story takes place during December, there are actually twelve parts to the puzzle -- hence, the book's title.) -- Meanwhile, Norwegian explorer Fridjof Nansen, his wife Eva, and his right-hand man Henrik Gylling are in London, so that Nansen can address a society of learned men and explorers. But he has a puzzle of his own for Holmes: a series of dead animals are being left on his doorstep by person or persons unknown. Eva Nansen is understandably upset by these deposits (which have followed them from Norway to their London lodgings) and sees them as a possible threat to her husband, who is hoping to return to Greenland in short order and would like to see Eva have complete peace of mind before his departure. -- The story continues along these two narrative paths: Holmes is completely obsessed with the Adler puzzle, while Watson ends up investigating a third case in tandem with his smart-as-a-whip wife Mary. -- As an ardent Sherlockian, I desperately wanted to like this book, but found it rather dull going. (YMMV, of course!)

[WordSmith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Albeit set in Victorian London, this "new adventure" of Sherlock Holmes clearly takes its character inspiration primarily from the BBC's Sherlock series rather than Conan Doyle's stories and novels. This could actually provide an interesting perspective, but unfortunately this book is a complete disappointment. It starts out very promising but then runs out of steam after a mere 30 pages and turns into a painfully sluggish read. The hope that there will be some grand and imaginative reveal at the end is in vain, leaving a highly contrived plot with far too many solutions left to what is essentially happenstance and not deduction.
Ultimately I find it both amazing and infuriating how anyone would dare to slap the name of Sherlock Holmes onto a feeble book like this one. I guess we have Titan Books to blame for this more than the author.
On the up side, this book really makes me want to revisit the original material, so thank you for that.

[Beckiezra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5, but I decided to round down because I don’t think it’s entirely the book’s fault I found it boring but there’s no denying I only kept listening out of a sense of obligation to finish a book the library has to pay for me checking out.

It seemed like a decently put together Sherlock Holmes style mystery with too many threads and red herrings and unreasonably helpful coincidences etc that shouldn’t pass muster for realism but felt kind of true to my experience trying to read the original works. I just have to accept that as much as I like the idea of Holmes and Watson from modern retellings and the influence they had on mysteries, the original stuff that this is trying to emulate (possibly with some modern influences on the characterizations of people) is just not exciting enough for me to really enjoy.

The reader’s voice choice for Holmes was unappealing and there just wasn’t enough variation/consistency in voices for me to easily identify everyone all the time.

[BookCrazy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly awful and pedantic and BORING. The writing was stilted, nothing like Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. The writer couldn't even get the characters correct. He had a real thing against Mrs. Hudson, treating her like an ignorant nobody. This is the last time I'm going to read a Sherlock Holmes story written by anybody but Doyle.

Even worse, the audiobook was performed by a terrible reader. The performer, Tom Woosnam, tried to put on an upper crust British actor for Holmes and Watson. He chose a fake Irish accent for Mrs. Hudson. He had horrible pauses in the middle of sentences. Don't waste your time.

If you don't have time to read the original stories, choose the audiobooks read by Stephen Fry or Simon Vance. Or watch either TV series with Jeremy Brett or Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. Both are well done and capture the spirit of these wonderful characters.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was silly and awkward and out of character and frankly kind of weird - insert faceplant emoji here - but somehow it also managed to be disarmingly cute. It had heart and painted a really human, sympathetic picture of Watson. He complained about this and that, and was justifiably upset when he felt ill-used, which was often, but these incidences alternated with charming moments like enjoying his wife’s happiness and being honestly concerned when a friend is upset. There were quite a few awkward moments, but I think for me it’s sort of a written equivalent of the Great Mouse Detective movie when I was a kid - different but still a fun story.

I tend to prefer Holmes stories that don’t get too out of the traditional style, so this book shouldn’t have worked for me, but somehow it did.

[Chrisanta Dias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another pastiche written by a different author. Irene Adler is the main antagonist in this story as she sets some puzzles for Holmes. He is called in to investigate a series of thefts which upon investigation don't seem like thefts. Things go missing and then reappear. Amidst these thefts a Norwegian explorer asks Holmes to investigate who and why someone would leave meat on his doorstep. Sadly this one did not work for me. Holmes was depicted as far more detached than he usually is. Watson was more involved than he usually is but more bothersome was his personality which was a bit abrasive and hence such a departure from the norm. His wife Mary was sort of forced into the narrative which is ok except that it felt overly contrived. Finally the premise of Adler's thefts was very weak.

[Graham Connors · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun novel. I love the character of Sherlock Holmes, and, for reasons I can not yet explain, novels set in Victorian era England. Check and check!

This novel won't tax your brain, but it is an enjoyable read, and while I think Major's take on Holmes is a good one, his Watson is even better! I've read several non Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes novels, and while the plot of this one is a little flimsy, the characters are among the best I've read.

Would I recommend this novel? Yes, I would. It's not essential reading, but the combination of Holmes, Watson, and the Christmas setting really appealed to me.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2.5 stars. Disappointing in many ways. I think the author in trying to be clever lessened the pleasure of reading the book. By the end, I just wanted it to be done! I liked the part with Toby and Mrs. Hudson, but why didn't they just give him a bath if they found him so malodorous? In addition, Holmes does have his usual annoying habits, not the least of which is his condescending attitude towards Watson. While I'm sure they are friends, I'm also sure Watson has the patience of a saint.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. I didn't particularly like the narrator, which may have colored my overall feelings about the book. The voice chosen for Sherlock Holmes didn't fit in my head, he sounded overweight and out of breath all the time. I think I'd have bought it for Mycroft, but it just didn't sound like Sherlock.

Any way, while the typical Holmes parts were good, but it seemed to spend a lot of time Watson's feelings and insecurities. Just not what I'm reading a Sherlock Holmes book for.